“I sort of figured out that you’re
the reason Cerdic’s gone. Have you killed humans too, or just these—Scriostóir
things?” Hamlin asked.
“Only Scriostóir. I’ve
haven’t killed a human since I died. Given what I do, I’m not all that certain
that I could.”
“That would be sort of
counter-productive I guess, all things considered. Unless of course they were
trying to kill you.”
“Which some have, but since
I’m immortal I let them do their worst and then, within a couple of days, I’m
back to normal again.”
Hamlin’s mind was spinning,
question after question coming and going in a flash, each one as important as
the one before. “What if... if they left you for dead? And if you appear dead,
what if they decided to bury your body, or worse yet you got sent to the
morgue?”
Manny laughed. “You have
quite the morbid turn of mind, mijn liefde. Those are a couple of lovely
thoughts—not. Luckily no one's tried either. Of course when it comes to the
morgue, I’d be healing and frankly up and out of there before someone took a
scalpel to me.”
“Mijn liefde?”
“My love,” Manny replied
quietly. “If that’s—Well you are my love. I suppose the question is, am I still
yours?”
“I think I answered that one
already. You are.” Hamlin glanced away suddenly and winced.
Following his gaze, Manny
shook his head. “Good thing those were old shoes, though where he found them is
anyone’s guess.”
“Trust me, if it’s chewable
Romper will find it.” When he stood, intending to rescue the shoes, he suddenly
found himself pulled onto Manny’s lap. “Umm, the shoes,” he muttered.
“Damn the shoes. They’re
keeping him quiet and out of worse trouble,” was Manny’s response as he cupped
Hamlin’s jaw in one hand, stroking his thumb over his soft lips. “He can mangle
them while we—tangle with each other.”
“Tangling is good.”
“More than.” Manny pressed
his lips to Hamlin’s for the start of a kiss that rapidly turned it several
more. “Tangling... is... great,” he whispered between them. “When it’s... you that... I’m
tangling with.”
Hamlin might have replied,
if he could have, but Manny took that option away as he deepened the last kiss
while lifting him into his arms to take him across the room to his bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment